BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE APRIL 2015 - CARTER & SOMERSET MAUGHAM

Angela Carter - born in 1940 Ms. Carter is regarded as possibly the leading proponent of feminist magic realism. Nights at the Circus is on many people's lists of best British novels since the Second World War (it was awarded as the best ever winner of the James Tait Black Award). I have struggled with her previously so I am looking forward to the challenge. She died in 1992 after developing lung cancer.

William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) was quite possibly my favourite novelist growing up. Well travelled and with the gift of telling a story simply but very effectively his style appealed greatly to me and still does. I have read all his major work and look forward to a re-acquaintance with some of it this month. Arguably the best writer of short stories in the 20th century as well as being a hugely successful critic and playwright; there is plenty to go at for the uninitiated.

What I'm reading

What you're reading

I hope I'm not too early, Paul. I plan on reading The Bloody Chamber, in fact, I have started it already. I have this beautiful edition:



If I have time, I also have The Painted Veil on audio.

I'm planning on The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter and The Trembling of a Leaf by Maugham. If I have time I'll also listen to the audio of The Painted Veil.

I will be reading Maugham's Up At The Villa and Carter's The Bloody Chamber

The Bloody Chamber will be my BAC book. My mother would've been happy to hear about your affinity for W. Somerset Maugham's books, Paul. He was a favorite author of hers.

I'm currently listening to The Painted Veil. I hate to admit it, but I chose it partially on length. And a bacteriologist. And China. :-)

I'll be reading The Painted Veil as well. Paul, your short bio of WSM makes me want to put this book on the top of my reading list for April! He sounds like my type of man/author.

Looking to read a couple of classic titles by April's BAC authors W. Somerset Maugham & Angela Carter with The Razor's Edge and The Bloody Chamber.

I finished Of Human Bondage today!. I have to admit that I started it many weeks ago on DailyLit and saved the last of the 265 instalments for today, so I could count it for this challenge. I enjoyed it, primarily because it gives a glimpse of life for the ordinary Londoner.

I'll attempt Of Human Bondage and what looks like a lovely little "fairy tales" book, Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella and Other Classic Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault by Angela Carter. Here's what the blurb on the book says:

Little Red Riding Hood, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty. Bluebeard. The Fairies. Many classic fairy tale characters might not have survived into the present were it not for Charles Perrault, a seventeenth-century civil servant who rescued them from oral tradition and committed them to paper. Three centuries later, Angela Carter, widely regarded as one of England's most imaginative writers, adapted them for contemporary readers. The result is a cornucopia of fantastic characters and timeless adventures, stylishly retold by a modern literary visionary."

Sounds like my cup o' tea!

Karen O.

I have The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter from the library ready to go.

I'm up for Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus (which I've just started) and Maugham's The Painted Veil. Looking forward to it.

I've finished listening to W. Somerset Maugham's story Der Büchersack (books bag) ♫ Listen in German


B.A.C April

This is a fantastic short story about a traveller. His precious luggage is a duffel bag full of books and therefore the story is called 'Büchersack' (books bag). In this bag are different kind of books. Books he will read on a cruise when it's sunny or stormy or in what kind of mood he is. When he arrived in a hotel in Malaysia the owner of the hotel asked him if he could borrow a book from the bag and chose a biography. In the morning he asked the traveller about the person in the book because he had some difficulty to understand the siblings relationship. How it turned out the traveller had a liaison with the sister and started to tell the sad story about the siblings relationship.
It was a very gripping listening.

I started Of Human Bondage a few days ago and enjoying it quite a bit. I've only managed about 80 pages or so in the last three days and have now finished chapter 21, where our protagonist Philip is disappointed not to have met more resistance in his decision to leave school. I'm currently reading from the beautiful Folio Society edition, but I may supplement with an audio edition I got for one of those really good audio/kindle deals on Audible, as it might otherwise take me all month to get through it. I have other W. Somerset Maugham titles on audio and will try to get to at least one of them, perhaps The Magician, which is narrated by David Rintoul, or else The Painted Veil.

As for Angela Carter, I'll probably read The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, though I also have The Magic Toyshop. Both are beautiful hardcover editions which I've been wanting to get to for a very long time, so hopefully I'll be able to fit them both in, if not this month then at least during the year.

Nights at the Circus and The Razor's Edge for me this month.

I've started the Carter and so far so good. Interestingly enough I work with an Angela Carter :)

Add me to the list of readers planning on reading On Human Bondage.

I'm probably going to read The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Carter because it is available at the library where I work. I have downloaded The Moon and Sixpence by Maugham from Project Gutenberg.

I posted this review on my own thread but forgot to post it here. I'm currently reading Carter's The Bloody Chamber with mixed feelings. It is interesting and intriguing but the prose gets a bit purple and sometimes flies off to slutty romance novel-land.

Up At The Villa by W. Somerset Maugham, finished April 1, 2015, 3 1/2 - 4 stars, acquired in 2015 for the BAC


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I found Maugham's short novel to be a delight. Very well written, witty dialogue with characters who come to life on the page; what more could one ask for?

Mary Panton was widowed a year before in England. She is young, just 30, and has been spending several months getting herself rested and mentally restored in Florence at the small villa of an acquaintance. An older friend, Sir Edgar Swift, has been in love with her since Mary was a teen and he proposes marriage before he must leave for 2-3 days. He has just been offered the Governorship of Bengal and he would, despite being nearly 25 years older, very much like Mary to join him as his wife in India. Mary has just enough income from her late husband to get by. She knows she should marry for position and companionship this second time around; not for love like the first time. Sir Edgar would give her security and place.

We are told repeatedly by characters that Mary Panton is an uncommon beauty. It has been her chief asset in life and she is well aware of it. She does not however seem "stuck up." She knows her looks are a valuable asset just like having a particular skill or aptitude might be. She goes to a dinner that she had planned to attend with Sir Edgar, at his urging, and with a revolver in her purse as he insisted since he fears for road robbers and such outside of Florence. She really would have preferred to stay at her villa and dine alone. She has promised Sir Edgar an answer upon his return in three days and she really wants to decide what to do. But she goes and the dinner starts off well, and the dialogue is fun to read. I won't tell any more of the story.

Life unexpectedly gets very complicated and wild for Mary. I found this an excellent read - a real exciting page turner that moves along at quite a clip. Recommended.

Not sure yet what i'll read, I've already read a couple by Angela Carter and have several more on my MT tbr. With Maugham I've got The Moon and Sixpence and The Razor's Edge so one of those, but not till the end of the month, I have a ton of library books to clear first.

I finished Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus - and thought the writing was brilliant and burlesque and bawdy, but I just didn't love the book. I'd definitely consider trying another of hers though - maybe I'd prefer her short stories.

Oh, and I've just started on The Painted Veil by Maugham as well. I might actually read The Moon and Sixpence too.

I'm almost done with the audio of The Painted Veil and have been enjoying it. The narrator, Kate Reading, (what a perfect name!), is wonderful. But I was reading the back of the case, trying to double check a name, and there is a major major plot point spoiler on there. Avoid reading the back of the case, if you're listening to this version of the audio!

One of my favorite short stories is by Maughm. He's an excellent short story writer, BTW. I think the story I'm thinking of is called "The Book Bag," and every LTer will love it. I'll check my collection of stories to make sure of the title.

>25 BLBera: Beth, my review of The Book Bag is >16 Ameise1: here. I listened to it in German. It's brilliant.

I am reading The Bloody Chamber -- so far, very good, and creepy.

Yay - I found the thread! I read The Bloody Chamber and other stories and gave it 4.5 stars. Here's what I had to say:

This ghastly collection of gothic fairy tales is delightful and dismal. Carter's writing is beautiful and her imagery brilliant. White roses, cats, and desperate damsels figure heavily in these highly sexualized stories. I wasn't always able to match the story to the grim fairy tale from which she drew inspiration, but one more well-versed in fairy tales will likely be able to do so. I will likely try to read more by Angela Carter as her use of the English language is exquisite.

I finished Maugham's The Painted Veil in audiobook format, and absolutely loved it. Walter and his "the dog it was that died" was absolutely heartbreaking. I may have spent time crying like a fool throughout the final chapters (I may have also been suffering from a nasty cold, and feeling overly emotional).

I finished The Bloody Chamber today. Ellen's comments (>28 EBT1002:) are spot on.

I have a very small book on my shelf called a Penguin 60 which is actually two of Angela Carter's short stories on Lizzie Borden put together. Hardly qualifies as a book, but I pulled it down from the shelf and read it for this month's BAC. I have previously read The Bloody Chamber by this author and do love her dark, earthy writing.

I finished The Bloody Chamber this afternoon. It's not really my cup of tea, but I came away impressed with Carter's mastery of the short story genre.

Finished The Painted Veil over the weekend and I thought it a 5 star read. For me, a real tear jerker.

I finished The Bloody Chamber and like others, could not identify most of the fairy tales. I was really impressed with the quality of Carter's writing though. Her descriptive writing is amazing. But for me, the stories were very inconsistent in result, from repugnant (The Bloody Chamber) to charming (The Courtship of Mr. Lyon).

I finished The Trembling of a Leaf this week and loved it. So far it's my favorite book I've read for this challenge. I still hope to listen to the audio of The Painted Veil before the end of the month.

I'm not doing well with the challenges this month. I intended to read Of Human Bondage, but I'm not sure I'll get to it. It would have been a re-read for me, so I think I'll just bag the guilt and move on, hoping to do better in May.

I'm starting The Painted Veil tonight. That Lynda gave it five stars makes me optimistic!

Stephanie (DieFledermaus) from Club Read wrote a great review of The Magic Toyshop yesterday, which you can read on her thread: http://www.librarything.com/topic/185700#5133532

I read Of Human Bondage this month and thought it was excellent. I've now moved on to my second Maugham book, this time on audio with The Magician which I'm very much enjoying as one of his earlier novels, which is creepy and gothic and very good fun, and very well narrated by David Rintoul.

Almost finished The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, which I've been absolutely loving. Also very creepy, sensual and horrid. Makes for a strange brew, but it all works. I have The Magic Toyshop which I doubt I'll be able to fit in this month, but will definitely make time for it this year.

I finished Up at the Villa and enjoyed it very much. It's very short but tells an interesting and surprising tale. His writing evokes such strong mental images that I'm not surprised so many of his stories have become films.

A sensual series of reclaimed and retold fairy and folk tales from Angela Carter in The Bloody Chamber.


"My intention was not to do "versions" or, as the American edition of the book said, horribly, "adult" fairy tales, but to extract the latent content from the traditional stories." Angela Carter

Extract she does, as like a master surgeon Carter cuts away the fat and dead tissue which has embalmed so many of these tales in order to make them 'safe for children', to reveal a raw, sensual, and female centered core for each of them. The language is ripe and pungent and like a hot house flower might easily perish in the hands of a lesser talent. Instead Carter reinvigorates these stories by simultaneously going back to their root origins and modernizing them with female agency.



I confess my ignorance to Angela Carter's feminist literary reputation being familiar with her name mostly due to the film The Company of Wolves which she co-scripted with director Neil Jordan and which was based on some of the stories in the The Bloody Chamber. I look forward to revisiting the film soon as I recall it capturing the ripe atmosphere which oozes from pages of each story in this slim volume. A site called The Modern Word has an excellent overview on her career, Angela Carter by By Jeff VanderMeer, it includes an analysis of "The Bloody Chamber" which puts it and her work in context, however I would recommend looking at it after reading the book.

Again I really appreciate the British Author Challenge for the nudge to pick-up and read this volume from Angela Carter.

>37 EBT1002: Anxiously awaiting Ellen's thoughts! all crossables crossed ;0)

>41 ralphcoviello: Wonderful summary of a terrific read!

>42 Carmenere: That means I'd better stop messing around on LT and get to reading!

I've finished Heroes and villains by Angela Carter and The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham. Heroes and Villains didn't really do it for me: it was quite odd (which I usually like) but I didn't really see what the point of it was. A good start but tailed off ... The Painted Veil on the other hand, was a definite success. When the film came out I got the impression it was a rather sentimental love story, but the book wasn't like that at all. I shall look out for the film version now, to see what they've done with it.

The Painted Veil was the second book by Somerset Maugham that I've read (Cakes and Ale was the first) and I've enjoyed both of them, so I'll definitely be on the lookout for more.

I was glad I read The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories, and my review is on the LT book page.

Finally finished The Razor's Edge this morning - loved it.

I just devoured The Painted Veil and absolutely loved it! Now, off to finish Nights at the Circus, which I'm not enjoying nearly as much as my Maugham selection.

>46 BekkaJo: I also read The Razor's Edge and loved it. It was my first Maugham book ever. I will be reading more by him.

I recently finished listening to Maugham's The Magician, which is one of his early novels from 1908; a gothic horror extravaganza based on his real-life encounter with Aleister Crowley. The magician in the novel is involved in the occult and dark arts and intent on revenge and manipulation, and with Maugham's excellent storytelling abilities, it makes for an excellent yarn. Since I tend to like gothic novels, I enjoyed it a lot. Narrated by David Rintoul on the audio version, it was hugely entertaining and I highly recommended that version.

#48 Isn't it good!! Though I will say Of Human Bondage is even better :)

I read The Bloody Chamber as many others did, and about the best I can say for it was that I finished it.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed Cakes and Ale. It was recommended to me as a teenager, and I'm glad I finally got around to it, lo these many years later!

I also read Maugham's The Hero from 1901. He clearly has a few axes to grind and is a bit heavy handed at times, but much of the writing is wonderfully snarky. I'd suggest passing over this one unless you're determined to read them all.

I plan to fit in a reread of one of my favorite plays The Constant Wife. And a may get another play or one of the shorter novels in over the next few days. We'll see. Maugham is my favorite writer of the BAC so far this year.

>51 Dejah_Thoris: Maugham is my favorite writer of the BAC so far this year.

Mine too! I've been meaning to read him for years, and I'm very glad that this challenge provided the nudge I needed to do it!

I listened to The Magician, too, although not the same version as yours, Smiler69. James Adams was the narrator, and I give him 3 stars at the job. I found the story good and creepy; I just don't like good and creepy, so it wasn't my favorite BA.

Also for this challenge, Wise Children by Angela Carter. Brash, witty and humorous, but not really up my alley, either.

I am really enjoying the wide variety of reading this challenge has afforded, even though some of the books might not be my cup of tea.

I will be carrying my read of Maugham's Of Human Bondage into May. Currently nearing the half way mark and still undecided about this one.

Am I missing the May author thread? I can't seem to locate it.

>55 thornton37814: I don't think it's up yet. I have been fussing about what I'm going to read by Martin Amis. His works aren't seeming very appealing.

I was planning on reading Of Human Bondage this month but didn't realize it was so large--so I will be continuing with it in May. Instead I read Liza of Lambeth, which is very short. I don't think I've ever read any Maugham and so am looking forward to being able to compare an early work (his first, if I'm not mistaken) with a later one.

I also read The Bloody Chamber as my Angela Carter selection, which I enjoyed a little more, but I may have to read more by both of these authors to know what I think.

>56 EBT1002: I chose Night Train which at least is a mystery. I'm not sure Amis is my thing either, but I've made it to "55 of 191" on the e-book I downloaded from Overdrive and haven't abandoned it.

Your missing administrator is back!

Amid a month of travails I am pleased to record that I managed to re-read The Magician by my old favourite Maugham and Wise Children by Angela Carter.

Pleased to see that generally both authors were well received. Of course I am particularly pleased that Maugham met with some praise as he is a favourite. I didn't get Night's at the Circus at all but enjoyed Wise Children much more.

Onto to Amis (who I don't like overly wither) and Drabble whom I am looking forward to dabbling with, so to speak.

>59 PaulCranswick: Just as long as you suffer through Amis with the rest of us!

#60 LOL - agreed. Though saying that, I've started Dead Babies (HATE that title) and actually finding it engaging... I think something might be wrong with me...

I didn't get around to reading Of Human Bondage this month, but I hope to read it in July or August. Bianca recommended The Moon and Sixpence to me yesterday, and I "bought" it after I noticed that the US Kindle version of it is free, so I may read it in June.

>62 kidzdoc: Consider reading Of Human Bondage via DailyLit. There are 265 installments; I usually read 3 a day, and asked for extra installments if I had time.

I am not drawn to Amis at all, and have no Drabble on hand, so I think I will try to read Of Human Bondage in May...I didn't get to it in April although I had intended to.

I finally gave up on Nights at the Circus, which I was not enjoying, and instead read The Passion of New Eve for my Carter selection. I passionately despise it, but it wasshort enough for me to finish in an afternoon.

Better late then never! I finished Carter's Burning Your Boats. It's not my type of fiction, but I found many of the stories interesting, many tolerable, and a few that I skimmed or skipped.

Ever had 'reader's block' as opposed to 'writer's block'? This book got caught up in my digressions over the summer as I read the introduction and the first couple of chapters and then could not seem to pick it up for months, yet when I finally did I raced through it in a few days making The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maughman Book 26 of the 75 Book Challenge for 2015 as well as allowing me to complete this British Author Challenge from April!

Despite the extended disruption it was rather easy for me to jump back into the story as I was generally familiar with it having seen both movie versions, (1946) starring Tyrone Power and (1984) starring Bill Murray. The book has an unusual structure as W. Somerset Maugham injects himself into the narrative as a character relating the story of Larry Darrell as well as several other characters during the years between the world wars. Maugham has a lot of fun with his approach and characters as he states "I have invented nothing" and otherwise implies the story is true in his 'novel' while also declaring that the book will not end with a wedding or a funeral when in fact it does! Another aspect that has made the book controversial as well as lasting is the focus on Larry's quest for enlightenment. At the start of the book Larry has returned to his home outside Chicago after serving as a pilot during the Great War in France and the experience has affected him. Larry's quest initially takes him to Paris where much of the story takes place and ultimately leads to India where he finds what he is looking for by studying Vendanta at an Ashram. This type of story has become a cliche, yet Maugham was the first to popularize it and his best seller introduced many Americans to non-western philosophy and religion for the first time. Maugham balances out Larry's saintly demeanor and arc with the trajectories of the other characters in particular Elliott Templeton and Isabel Bradley. Elliott is a wealthy American snob consumed with his position and participation in French society who continually expresses exasperation with Larry's choices. Isabel is Elliott's niece and initially Larry's fiance who rejects him when he will not return to America and work to support her in the style and comfort she expects.

Maugham's book, despite a less than positive critical reception, was an immediate hit and his biggest seller in America. Coming out at the end of World War II it found Americans receptive to Larry's non-traditional approach to personal and spiritual fulfillment. The book's central themes examining money, social climbing and enlightenment remain resonant to the present day and in some ways have only grown in the public consciousness.

The site 'The Wanderling' has an interesting page speculating on some of the real people and events that may have informed Maugham's writing of The Razor's Edge.

I'm sorry it took me so long, but I am glad I finally read a Maugham title for the BAC. Thanks.

For those of you who use netflix streaming I've discovered something that will only be on there for about another day or two. It is a 1951 film called "Encore" in which W. Somerset Maugham introduces and briefly discusses three short stories that are turned into half hour films to make up the whole. I've only watched the first so far but it is mildly entertaining as well as interesting and others might want to catch this while there is time.

>68 RBeffa: Interesting...I don't know if I'll get to it before it disappears (why is it going to go away?) because I seldom watch anything during the week, but I'd like to take a look at that.

>67 ralphcoviello: Glad I'm not the only one who came up against a speed bump with Maugham. I got half through Of Human Bondage and really do want to finish it.

>69 laytonwoman3rd: Netflix puts expiration dates on a lot of films. A large number are going away on Oct 1. I think the last day for "Encore" is today, 9/30. I enjoyed all three stories. Not much input from Maugham but he introduces each episode like a Hitchcock introduction to tease you. I'n glad I caught this.

>65 amanda4242: I am glad that it is not only me that finds reading Carter a chore.

>67 ralphcoviello: Ralph, reader's block seems to descend mid year upon me without fail but I guess external factors also intrude. I liked The Razor's Edge although it wouldn't be one of my absolute Maugham favourites.